Railways on Wednesday issued an order to restore the fare for AC 3-tier economy class travel which had been withdrawn in November last year when it was merged with AC 3-tier.
Despite the restoration in price, Railways will continue offering linen to passengers, the order indicated.
The present order has withdrawn an earlier circular in which the fare for AC 3-tier economy class ticket had been made equal to the fare of an AC 3-tier ticket. The reason for the merger was stated to be the cost of linen which was initially not provided in the economy air conditioned class.
Also read: Indian Railways kickstart Buddhist Circuit Tourist train
According to the order, passengers who have booked tickets online and over the counter will be given a refund of the extra amount for the pre-booked tickets.
The railways, while introducing the 3E as a class in September 2021, had announced that fares in these newly-introduced coaches will be 6-8 per cent less than normal AC 3 coaches, pitching the class of travel as the “best and cheapest AC travel service” in the world.
Before the November 2022 order, passengers could book AC 3 economy tickets under a separate category of “3E” in specific trains where railways offered such seats.
Officials said, currently there are 463 AC 3 Economy coaches compared to 11,277 normal AC 3 coaches. AC 3 economy coaches have better facilities for passengers than normal AC 3 coaches, officials said.
Also read: ‘Ecstatic!’: Indian Railways shares stunning view of a train by Ranpat waterfall. Watch
Officials said that with the merger of AC 3-tier economy, passengers had to pay around ₹60-70 additionally.
While a normal AC 3-tier coach has 72 berths, AC 3-tier economy has 80.
Railways earned ₹231 crore from the AC 3-tier economy class in the first year of its introduction. According to data, from April-August, 2022, 15 lakh people travelled in these coaches, generating earnings of ₹177 crore.